In the gym, It's hard to improve on the basics, the exercises that were most effective for muscle gain and fat loss 40 years ago are the best we have now, with only a few exceptions.  Despite this, I see too many gym-goers needlessly adding extra exercises and "variety" to their routine.  Instead, the average gym-goer would benefit most by changing other variables in their workout; load, rest periods, rep range, and volume.

Take powerlifters for example, they have superhuman size and strength by only training "the big 3" lifts with usually a few other accessory exercises.  Even look at Crossfit, of which actually has a large exercise library.  In each workout they only take you through a few exercises total…and it will kick your ass.

Focus on the most effective exercises and when you want to change your workout, try changing load, rest, rep range, and volume before you add unnecessary exercises.  

Raise your hand if you are a professional fitness athlete.  I thought so...you are not a pro.  Here are some fundamental differences between you and professional fitness athletes.

-you diet is not perfect like theirs
-you are much less experienced in the gym
-your body and muscular system are not as adapted to frequent/heavy lifting
-you are not (effectively) taking serious performance enhancing supplements, some of which are illegal
-your genetics are most likely not as ideal as theirs

You cannot do the workouts of professional fitness athletes because you are not a professional fitness athlete.  Rather, you need a program that is closely matched to your body type, experience, and fitness level.  

You can't dunk on Kobe or ace Federer so you shouldn't be playing their game.  Play the game you can win and advance from there.

The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss' new book, is coming out December 14th and is available for pre-order now.  I haven't seen a copy yet but Tim assured me I will be very pleased.

I'm also in the book and helped make the promo video (see if you can spot me).  Check out the official website here.  I'm excited to see how the book turns out.

Dear Girls,
Please stop doing so much cardio and stat hitting some weights.  Resistance training can trim and tone much quicker. 

I know you are all scared of having too much muscle, but that takes lot's of training and eating.  Most of our bodies are biologically designed to shed excess muscle, not stack it on.  So trust me on this one and get pumping.